There is much to update about, precisely from May 22nd to today May 25th. I will give a brief timeline and then provide more detail in separate paragraphs. So if anyone is interested in a specific date, just scroll down I guess. May 22nd was the 2nd day of Orientation and the first insight into what I will be actually working on at the Carter Center. May 23rd was the first full day of work at the Carter Center. May 24th was a half day because of the Memorial Day weekend holiday that is celebrated in the US. May 25th is the start of the first weekend in Atlanta, which happens to be a long weekend because of Memorial Day weekend holiday.
On Wednesday May 22nd, I had woken up as always before sunrise and had started preparing for my day. The dress is business casual and so I tried to represent myself in the best of manner. At about 8:45 am I picked up a couple fellow interns on my way to the Carter Center and that began the 2nd day of work. They were kind enough to provide us with a hearty breakfast, coincidentally my favorite, of an assortment of bagels and cream cheese. I opted for a sesame bagel with chive and onion cream cheese which was delightful. To my bagel fan readers out there, and you know who you are, these bagels were Ah-Maze-ing! I never knew where the bagels were from, but I found out later that week and it was a pleasant surprise but more of that on May 24th. We met with our respective program directors and coordinators and learned what we will be doing for the summer. That was all for that day as I returned home tired and hungry, had some food and went to sleep. Oh interesting fact, I am supposed to keep my work at the Carter Center outside of the public eye and so I will not be blogging about any specifics in regards to what I am working. I will rather focus on my experience at the Carter Center as a whole, and Atlanta as a larger scale.
On Thursday May 23rd, twas my first non-orientation day and so I felt a bit of pressure to perform and please. I dressed up nicer than usual, with a little addition of a red tie done with an Eldridge knot, which adds to the plain white shirt and grey khaki combination I was wearing. I had decided to arrive earlier than my official start time so I can give myself more time to get acclimated. The time was beneficial, as I used the old trial and error technique to get one of my first assignments done. It got done thankfully and many lessons were learned that helped expedite the process the next day. I had the Carter Center lunch, which is headed by a very passionate cook that told us that she would have to teach us ( all the new interns) how the cafeteria works. It's very similar to a school lunch line, but with better food. I had some Chicken and dumplings, which turns out to not be my thing but was tasty nonetheless. This is very fluff information, but trust me it's all part of the experience. Chicken and dumplings was thick and I believe is a classic southern dish and I do not think southern cooking is much of my thing. It's too heavy, so I will try to opt for the salad the next time. The day went by surprisingly quickly and in the end, as usual, I returned home exhausted and hungry. I quickly chowed down some food and went to bed. By this time, I am getting used to and recognizing better street names and directions. I don't need the GPS to direct me but just as to serve as a easily accessed map. I'm getting there, slowly but surely.
On Friday May 24th, the relationship history between bagels and I was re-written. It was the first friday of the internship. Fridays are special for three reasons: 1) It's casual Friday, which means I get a break from the formal attire and get to dress it down a bit. 2) It's bagel Friday, which means that their are free bagels and cream cheese at the Carter Center in the morning. These bagels are majestic. Maybe it's the context, or the fact that they are fresh at about 9 am but it was one of the best bagels I've ever had. Now, I am a Tim Hortons fan through and through, we have an emotional bond and I drive 45 minutes sometimes just for a bagel but the bagel I had that morning, I'm sorry to say, was just better. When you factor price in, the picture seems to be clearer. Bagels from Panera Bread ( where I found out the bagels were from) are much more expensive and are larger than ones offered at Tim Hortons. My love for Tim Hortons will not go away, but I have found it's competition. 3) It's Friday, which means the weekend and in this case a long weekend. We have Monday May 27th off as well and so I am using that time wisely to write up this blog.
On Saturday May 25th, I woke up ready to go play some soccer with a pick-up group that I found online. The game was unfortunately canceled and so I opted to visit the local gym instead. It is a small place but it does the job. It has a free weight room, which really isn't my thing, a aerobics/combat room, a few treadmills, bicycle machines, steppers and ellipticals, which I'm sure I'll use over the course of my stay here in Atlanta. There is also a basketball court, which isn't my thing either but I might try it out and a small swimming pool that is mostly used for water aerobics and exercises. I had neglected myself this past semester and it had been a while since I had been to the gym and so as after my hour session my muscles had ached and I was exhausted. I went home and got clean and headed over about 7 blocks south of where I live to a cafe that was opening early for the Champions league game. I met a few friends there from the Carter Center and we had a good time. Congrats to Bayern Munich for their victory and better luck next time to Dortmund. After that I returned home and spent the rest of the day relaxing and not doing much really.
That's my update for now. I am currently sitting in at a Coffee place enjoying the weather and the nice internet, which the place I live in doesn't have.
Cheers,
Omar Kurdi
On Wednesday May 22nd, I had woken up as always before sunrise and had started preparing for my day. The dress is business casual and so I tried to represent myself in the best of manner. At about 8:45 am I picked up a couple fellow interns on my way to the Carter Center and that began the 2nd day of work. They were kind enough to provide us with a hearty breakfast, coincidentally my favorite, of an assortment of bagels and cream cheese. I opted for a sesame bagel with chive and onion cream cheese which was delightful. To my bagel fan readers out there, and you know who you are, these bagels were Ah-Maze-ing! I never knew where the bagels were from, but I found out later that week and it was a pleasant surprise but more of that on May 24th. We met with our respective program directors and coordinators and learned what we will be doing for the summer. That was all for that day as I returned home tired and hungry, had some food and went to sleep. Oh interesting fact, I am supposed to keep my work at the Carter Center outside of the public eye and so I will not be blogging about any specifics in regards to what I am working. I will rather focus on my experience at the Carter Center as a whole, and Atlanta as a larger scale.
On Thursday May 23rd, twas my first non-orientation day and so I felt a bit of pressure to perform and please. I dressed up nicer than usual, with a little addition of a red tie done with an Eldridge knot, which adds to the plain white shirt and grey khaki combination I was wearing. I had decided to arrive earlier than my official start time so I can give myself more time to get acclimated. The time was beneficial, as I used the old trial and error technique to get one of my first assignments done. It got done thankfully and many lessons were learned that helped expedite the process the next day. I had the Carter Center lunch, which is headed by a very passionate cook that told us that she would have to teach us ( all the new interns) how the cafeteria works. It's very similar to a school lunch line, but with better food. I had some Chicken and dumplings, which turns out to not be my thing but was tasty nonetheless. This is very fluff information, but trust me it's all part of the experience. Chicken and dumplings was thick and I believe is a classic southern dish and I do not think southern cooking is much of my thing. It's too heavy, so I will try to opt for the salad the next time. The day went by surprisingly quickly and in the end, as usual, I returned home exhausted and hungry. I quickly chowed down some food and went to bed. By this time, I am getting used to and recognizing better street names and directions. I don't need the GPS to direct me but just as to serve as a easily accessed map. I'm getting there, slowly but surely.
On Friday May 24th, the relationship history between bagels and I was re-written. It was the first friday of the internship. Fridays are special for three reasons: 1) It's casual Friday, which means I get a break from the formal attire and get to dress it down a bit. 2) It's bagel Friday, which means that their are free bagels and cream cheese at the Carter Center in the morning. These bagels are majestic. Maybe it's the context, or the fact that they are fresh at about 9 am but it was one of the best bagels I've ever had. Now, I am a Tim Hortons fan through and through, we have an emotional bond and I drive 45 minutes sometimes just for a bagel but the bagel I had that morning, I'm sorry to say, was just better. When you factor price in, the picture seems to be clearer. Bagels from Panera Bread ( where I found out the bagels were from) are much more expensive and are larger than ones offered at Tim Hortons. My love for Tim Hortons will not go away, but I have found it's competition. 3) It's Friday, which means the weekend and in this case a long weekend. We have Monday May 27th off as well and so I am using that time wisely to write up this blog.
That's my update for now. I am currently sitting in at a Coffee place enjoying the weather and the nice internet, which the place I live in doesn't have.
Cheers,
Omar Kurdi
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